Individual cigarette density recording machine



Dec. 28, 1943.

J. LOPEZ INDIVIDUAL CIGARETTE DENSITY RECORDING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JESUS LOPEZ BY E 7, ATTORNEY- Dec. 28, 1943.

J. LOPEZ INDIVIDUAL CIGARETTE DENSITY RECORDING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll I l l I l I 1 INVENTOR JESUS LOPEZ A ORNEY Patented Dec. 28, 1943 UNITED INDIVIDUAL CIGARETTE DENSITY RECORDING MACHINE Jesus Lopez, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company Application March 6, 1941, Serial No. 381,959

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in or relating to cigarette making machines, and more particularly to an apparatus for measuring and recording the density and evenness of the filling of a cigarette.

Various t pes cigarette weight recording and detecting devices have heretofore been employed in order to provide means for checking on a cigarette machine to see that it is producing a cigarette of uniform and consistent density. Broadly, these devices can be said to fall into one or two categories. Some devices check the density of several sample cigarettes by weighing them on a scale and noting the weights on chart paper. Other devices consist in having a feeler resting on top of a very rapidly traveling cigarette rod show the density of the cigarette rod traveling beneath the feeler by means of a pointer connected to said fceler and traveling over a marked scale.

Since there might be high and low spots in one or a fixed number of cigarettes weighed at one time, the weight recorded would be the same as if the cigarette or cigarettes being weighed were evenly filled because the high and low spots would offset each other so as to show a cigarette of correct weight. The other device mentioned would be unsatisfactory for detecting the high and low spots of an individual cigarette because a cigarette rod travels with great rapidity below such a feeler member. This rapidity causes the feeler to bounce over the low spots and merely contact the higher and denser parts of the cigarette rod. The device however is useful for showing the thickness of the cigarette rod in general, although of no use for showing the high spots and low spots of a very short length of the cigarette rod. This is due to the fact that a high or low spot of a cigarette, which is detected by applying a light pressure thereto, variesroughly from to of an inch in length.

It is in view of this fact that girls commonly known as inspection girls are employed to go from machine to machine, taking sample cigarettes and feeling each individual cigarette along its length to detect an uneven filler having high and low spots. In other words, it has been the practice to rely upon the fingers of an individual to decide whether cigarettes have been uniformly filled. It has also been found that the touch of these girls fingers varies and what one girl would call an unevenly filled cigarette, another girl would call a cigarette of uniform density. No common standard for measuring the density of an individual cigarette has been possible heretofore because of this human element.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device which will establish a uniform standard for measuring the density of individual cigarettes.

Another object is to provide a device which will eliminate the uncertainty of relying upon the touch of an individual for determining whether the filling of a cigarette is uniform or not.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a device for charting and recording the uniformity of the filling of an individual ciga rette.

An additional object is to provide a device for rapidly testing a series of cigarettes to determine the uniformity of the filler of each cigarette.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the in-. vention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have. been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawings, in which:

. Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showing the principal features comprising this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing various mechanisms for operating the device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation on line 3-3 in Fig. 2, the chute feeding the cigarettes having been omitted in order to more clearly show the operating parts of the mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a half-plan view on line i i of Fig, 2, the chute also having been omitted in this view; and

Fig. 5 is a half-plan view on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, the chute also having been omitted inthis view.

Referring to Fig. 1, a frame l9 supports a shaft l2 at either end. An operating handle it is pivotally mounted on said shaft 22 and has two extensions It and it to which are connected arms 22 and 2t (Fig. 3) respectively, by means of pins l8 and 2th The upward movement of handle H3 is limited by the stops I l formed on said handle engaging with the stops l5 formed on the frame [9 (Fig. 1). The downward movement of handle I0 is limited in a similar manner by the stops I3 formed on the handle it! engaging with the stops ll formed on the frame it. Arms 22 and 2d are connected to each other by a bar 2% which en-' gages the recesses 28 formed in and across the lower portion of a row of plungers 38.

In order that the bar 26 may be urged into said recesses, a spring 25 is provided which acts against the bar 26 to urge the same into engagement with said recesses. The plungers 38 are arranged to slide freely up and down in housing 32. A second series of recesses 3 is formed in the upper ends of each of the plungers 39, the upper limits of each of these recesses being shaped into a contact point 3%).

Tail ends ail, entering into each of the recesses 34, are pivotally mounted. on a rod 38 and are adjustably secured to a series of indicator arms 42 which are also pivotally mounted on rod 38. Pins 36 are adjustably mounted on the ends of arms $2 to perforate a charted paper web W which is automatically advanced to present. a new target for each cigarette C tested.

Although the invention is shown associated with a pin device for perforating a strip of paper to make a record of the density of each cigarette, other suitable means may be employed for making a permanent record of the density of individual cigarettes. If desired, the attachment for making a permanent record may be omitted and the pins or lever arms may be used in conjunction with a suitable scale to measure the density of individual cigarettes.

In Fig. 1 is shown the condition of the mechanism as the operating handle Ii) reaches its full down stroke. The upper ends it of arms 2.2 and 24 have ridden up on the cam blocks i3, thereby having withdrawn bar 25 from engagement with recesses 28 and releasing plungers The plungers 3% have dropped and come to rest on top of a cigarette C. However, before the plungers are permitted to drop, the indicator arms 42 are raised in a manner hereinafter de scribed and are held out of engagement with the contact points 36 of plungers 38 so that the indicator arms will not receive a blow when the plungers drop.

The indicator arms 2 are so mounted that any movement caused by contact points 33 engaging with the tail ends Mi of said arms will be multiplied o-r amplified, and the corresponding distance travelled by pins i i will be proportionately greater than the movement of contact points 36 which represents the extent to which the plungers 3i) descend into the filler making up the cigarette being tested.

The mechanism for operating the paper web W and indicator arms i2 is shown in Fig. 2. The operating handle IE) is shown in its full up stroke position after the plungers fail have been released and dropped.

As the handle it is lowered, a link i) pivoted at 52 on handle extension I l and connected at 54 to an arm of lever 56 causes said lever 56 to rock on its pivot 53. One end of a link 60 is connected at 62 to another arm M of lever 55. The other end 66 of said link is connected to a lever 68 which pivots on a shaft l2. A cam member formed on said lever 66 will swing into position (see Fig. 1) when actuated by link (if) to lift the indicator arms 32 so that the tail ends 36i are lowered. This lowering will take place before the handle it has reached its full down stroke when the plungers 3a) are released and dropped.

The test of the cigarette C is then recorded on Web W. When the handle H) is raised, link 59 reverses the operation just described, causing cam 10 to swing away from under arms 42 thus allowing tail ends it to contact their respective plunger points 36 (as shown in Fig. 2).

As the up stroke of operating handle it continues, a link M, one end of which is connected at 16 to an arm Iii of lever 55 and the other end Bil connected to the frame M3 of the paper web operating mechanism, will cause the web W to be advanced and perforated by the pins M of arms @2 (as shown in Fig. 2). A record of the test of the cigarette is thus obtained. A wooden board 43, or other suitable means, is provided in back of the charted web W to support the same when it is being perforated and also to avoid. damaging or blunting the pins 44.

The operation of feeding cigarettes into the recording machine is as follows:

When one cigarette has been tested and recorded, as just described, the handle ii) will be in its up position (Fig. 2). To remove the tested cigarette from the machine, the handle it is lowered. The bar 26, which is in engagement with the plunger recesses 28, rises therein until it engages with the upper limit 82 of said recesses. The continued upper movement of bar 26 lifts the plungers 39 away from the tested cigarette.

A pawl 8 pivotally mounted on pin 18, also moves upward on the downward movement of operating handle Iii. When the plungers have been raised clear of the tested cigarette C, the pawl 84 engages one of the four pins 86 mounted in the collar 88 to rotate the cradle 522 a quarter turn so as to eject the tested cigarette and to feed in an untested cigarette from the ramp 94 leading from a hopper (not shown). The bar shaped cigarette supporting cradle 92 is connected to the collar 88 mounted on shaft 91'). The shaft 95 is supported at either end by the frame iii. A locking lever Q6, tensioned by means of spring Ill-3, rides against the cradle 92 to allow the cradle to advance only a quarter turn for each cycle. It also holds the cradle firm when a cigarette is being tested.

As the handle ID is near the finish of its down stroke, a new cigarette is in place and the bar 26 is withdrawn as the upper ends of arms 22 and 24 ride out on tripper blocks 68, thereb releasing the plungers 30 (as shown in Fig. 1).

When the plungers have fallen upon the cigarette resting on the support, some may have made larger indentations into the cigarette wrapper than others due to the unevenness of the filler throughout the length of the cigarette. By recording the various distances these plungers have descended into the cigarette body, a record will be had of the evenness of the cigarette filler. This is accomplished by raising the handle It), thus reversing the operation through various links and levers, bringing the web W up against the pins i l as previously described and shown in Fig.2.

During this operation the bar 26 will be brought down to engage the recess 223 of plungers Bil in position to lift the plungers for the next test. The pawl 84 in descending pivots on pin E8 to trip past the next pin 38 and is returned to acting position by means of spring :35.

The charted paper web W is fed from a reel WR (Figs. 1 and 2) which revolves freely on a shaft I52. The charted paper web W passes over guide pulleys Hi l and lot and is pinched between two pulleys Hi8 and H0. The feed pulleys 108 and iii) are freely mounted upon shafts lit and I24 respectively. Feed pulley N38 is driven by a pawl and ratchet device operated through gear segments H2 and H4. Gear segment H2 is free to rotate on shaft H6 and has an arm H8 in which a pawl I is pivotally mounted. The gear segment H4 is fastened on the pulley IIt Pawl I20 engages a circular ratchet gear I22 which is attached to feed pulley me.

A stationary gear rack I25, attached to the bed I25, engages gear segment Il -i. The gear segment at another portion meshes with gear segment H2 to impart feeding movement when actuated through the latter to the pawl I26.

The frame l28 is supported on wheels it?! which track on rails I32 and is connected by link I4 (Fig. 2) to the operating mechanism of the device. When the operating handle id is being raised, the frame I28 with its mechanisms will be pulled forward toward the indicator arms #12 and the charted paper web W will then be pierced by the pins 54 as previously described.

As the frame I28 rolls forward, the gear segment I54 rolls in the rear rack I25 and as a result causes gear segment M2 to rotate, thus swinging the pawl i253 into position to engage another tooth in the ratchet gear H2. When the motion of the operating handle ill is reversed, the fram I28 will move back; and as the gear segment lid rolls in gear rack lfifi, it causes gear segment M2 to rotate and the pawl Hill, engaged to ratchet gear E22, will rotate feed pulley m8 and will feed paper web W from the web reel WR, thus presenting a new space of paper for record of the next cigarette to be tested.

The invention above described may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many concrete embodimerits of the same. The invention therefore is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for recording the density of a cigarette, comprising a support for said cigarette, a plurality of movable bars movably mounted above said support and extending along substantially the entire upper surface of said cigarette, means for holding said bars in a raised position, a plurality of levers constructed and arranged to be actuated by said bars, means for releasing said bars to contact a cigarette on said support, and means for engaging a record receiving sheet with said levers to record the density of the portions of a cigarette engaged by said levers on said sheet and then disengaging said levers from. said sheet.

2. An apparatus for measuring the uniformity of the filler of an individual cigarette along its length, comprising a back stop, a plurality of feeler members positioned in side by side contacting relationship and in opposition to said back stop to engage the side of a cigarette located between said back stop and said feeler members, said feeler members being constructed and arranged to assume a predetermined position when a cigarette is of a predetermined denslty, and mechanism connected to said members for amplifying the displacement of each of said members from said respective predetermined position when engaging a cigarette to show at one time the cross sectional density of the filler along the length of the entire individual cigarette.

3. An apparatus for recording the uniformity of the filler of a cigarette, comprising a support, a plurality of feeler members positioned above said support, mechanism connected to said members for amplifying the various movements of each of said members when engaging a cigarette to show at one time the cross sectional density of the filler along the entire length of the cigarette, and means for moving a charted sheet into contact with said mechanism to record the uniformity of the cigarette filler on said sheet each time a cigarette is tested and then moving said sheet out of contact with said mechanism.

1 Apparatus for measuring the density of an individual cigarette, comprising a row of individually movable members arranged to fall freely into engagement with the cigarette throughout substantially its entire length, one end of each of said members being adapted to engage transversely with a cigarette, means for holding said members in an elevated position, means for releasing said members to permit them to fall into engagement with a cigarette, a series of levers engaging with the other end of each of said for showing the evenness of the filler ing said cigarette along substantially its and means for holding said levers out of engagement with said members while they are falling.

5 A machine for indicating the degree of uni- "inity of the filler making an individual cigarette comp-rising, a plurality of gravity biased individually movable elements disposed in side by side contacting relationship for engaging substantially the entire length and entire width of an individual cigarette to indicate the cross sectional density of individual cigarettes along their length, a support for holding a cigarette when engaged by said elements, and means for moving said elements into and out of engagement with cigarettes resting on said support.

6. A machine for indicating the degree of uniformity of the filler making up an individual cigarette comprising, a plurality of gravity biased individually movable elements arran ed in side by side contacting relationship for engaging substantially the entire length and entire width of an individual cigarette to indicate the cross sectional density of individual cigarettes along their length, a support for holding a cigarette when engaged by said elements, means for moving said elements into and out of engagement with cigarettes resting on said support, and means for making a record of the cross sectional density as indicated by said movable elements of each individual cigarette upon a record sheet.

7. A machine for indicating the degree of uni- .formlty of the filler making up an individual cigarette comprising, a plurality of gravity biased individually movable elements for engaging an individual cigarette along its length to indicate the contour of the filler making up the cigarette, said elements having a curved portion adapted to fit the rounded circumference of a cigarette, a support for holding a cigarette when engaged by said elements, means for dropping said ele ments into engagement with a cigarette resting on said support and raising said elements out of engagement with said cigarette, and means for moving a succession of cigarettes to be tested past said support whereby said elements may indicate the density of each cigarette.

8. An individual cigarette density measuring machine comprising a curved cigarette support, a plurality of movable contiguous plungers :mounted above said support in side by side contacting relationship and adapted to engage with a cigarette resting on said support, mechanism .for dropping said plungers into engagement with ,1 :a cigarette on said support and means operated by said plungers when the same are dropped into engagement with a cigarette on said support for showing the evenness of the filler making up the cigarette resting on said support.

9. An individual cigarette density measuring machine comprising, a concave cigarette support, a plurality of movable plungers mounted above said support in adjoining side by side contacting relationship and adapted to engage with a cigarette resting on said support, means for raising said plungers out of engagement with said cigarettes, a device for releasing said plungers from said raising means to permit them to fall into engagement with a cigarette on said support and means operated by said plungers for showing the evenness of the filler making up the cigarette resting on said support.

10. An individual cigarette density measuring machine comprising, a cigarette support, a plurality of movable plungers mounted above said support for free fall and adapted to fall upon a cigarette resting on said support, means associated with said plungers for showing the evenness of the filler making up the cigarette resting on said support as indicated by the distance each plunger descends into the cigarette filler, and additional means for raising said plungers and then releasing said plungers to permit them to fall into engagement with a cigarette on said support, and mechanism for removing and replacing cigarettes on said support.

11. An individual cigarette density measuring machine comprising, a grooved cigarette support, a plurality of freely falling plungers arranged in side by side contacting relationship and adapted to engage with a cigarette resting on said support, means operated by said plungers for showing the evenness of the filler making up the cigarette resting on said support, and additional means for recording the evenness of each individual cigarette upon a record sheet.

12. An apparatus for testing the uniformity of the filler of an individual cigarette along its length comprising, a plurality of aligned members capable of being dropped freely, said members being constructed and arranged to engage a cigarette along its length with a predetermined falling force, a support for holding said cigarette in place when said members are dropped on said cigarette, a plurality of levers adapted to engage with said members for indicating the depth to which each member descends into the filler making up the cigarette, and means for raising said levers out of contact with said members while said members are dropped.

JESUS LOPEZ. 

